Book Launch with the author: "Hollow" by Taylor Grothe

We are thrilled to host Taylor Grothe for the launch of Hollow! They will be in conversation with author Kelly Andrew, and both authors will be available to sign books after the talk.

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Don’t Let the Forest In meets The Whispering Dark in a queer YA cult horror following a recently diagnosed autistic teen who becomes enmeshed in a community of outcasts harboring sinister secrets.After a meltdown in her school cafeteria prompts an unwanted autism diagnosis, Cassie Davis moves back to her hometown in upstate New York, where her mom hopes the familiarity will allow Cassie to feel normal again. Cassie’s never truly felt normal anywhere, but she does crave the ease she used to have with her old friends.Problem is that her friends aren’t so eager to welcome her back into the fold. They extend an olive branch by inviting her on their backpacking trip to Hollow Ridge, in the upper reaches of the Adirondacks. But when a fight breaks out their first night, Cassie wakes to a barren campsite—her friends all gone.With severe weather approaching and nearing sensory overload, Cassie is saved by a boy named Kaleb, who whisks her away to a compound of artists and outcasts he calls the Roost. As Kaleb tends to her injuries, Cassie begins to feel—for the first time in her life—that she can truly be herself. But as the days pass, strange happenings around the Roost make Cassie question her instincts. Noises in the trees grow louder, begging the question: Are the dangers in the forest, on the trail, or in the Roost itself?In a world where autistic characters rarely get to be the hero of their own stories, Cassie Davis’s one-step-back, two-steps-forward journey to unmasking makes Hollow as much a love letter to neurodiversity as it is a haunting tale you’ll want to read with the lights on.

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Taylor Grothe is a writer of adult and young adult horror, horror romance, and dark fantasy. They hold a nonfiction MFA from Fairfield University, acted as the graduate Assistant Managing Editor of Brevity, and their short works can be found in esteemed publications such as Brevity’s craft blog, Haven Speculative, and Shortwave Magazine. They are a scholar of medieval literature and Nordic Saga. Taylor lives with two cats, two kids, and their spouse, in SW Connecticut.

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Kelly Andrew lost her hearing when she was four years old and she’s been dreaming up stories in the silence ever since.

Andrew lives in New England with her husband and their two daughters (and a very grouchy Boston Terrier). She has a BSW, but received her Masters in English & Creative Writing. When she’s not writing, she enjoys obsessing over a good book, scouring flea markets for treasure, and getting intentionally lost in the woods.

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• The ticket price includes a copy of Hollow, which the author will personalize and sign.
• Side Quest Books & Games is located on the Bow Market balcony, in the back left corner. There is an elevator for accessibility in the lobby of Bow Market, to the right of the driveway when you first arrive.
• Masks are optional, but please let us know and stay home if you are ill.
• Outside food and drink are welcome.

Host or Publisher Side Quest Books & Games